You would have been 100 years old yesterday. And, from what I hear, if it were up to you that day would have involved teaching and patient care.
And family, too.
Yup.
2/ I met you before you departed. Stood by as you taught EKG vectors feeling relieved that you weren’t calling on junior faculty.
Whew!
When it came to teaching, you were, as we used to say around my way, “‘bout that life.”
Yeah. That.
‘Bout that LIFE.
3/ But back to those questions from #Hamilton—who lives? Who dies? Who dies? Who tells your story?
I know—you’re like, “What is #Hamilton? But stay with me, sir.
I think it’s a question about legacy and impact. I think that’s why it’s my favorite song in that whole show.
Yup.
3/ Okay so check it: 50 years after you, I was born. So we have the zero year thing in common.
I’d meet you when I joined the Emory faculty in 2001. But really, I met you long before then.
Let me explain.
Because it goes back to that legacy thing.
4/ Okay so back in the early 1980s, you were @EmoryDeptofMed Chair of Medicine. And you inspired this man—an aspiring cardiologist named André Churchwell—to come train at Emory.
You would name him Chief Resident. The first Black person to hold that distinction.
Yup.
5/ Okay—so Dr. Churchwell would become a decorated teacher—and a leader in #DEI. He’d leave Emory to go to @VUmedicine in his hometown of Nashville to build his career.
He would also spend time teaching cardiology to med students at @MeharryMedical.
Which included me.
6/ Dr. Churchwell told us that you said this:
"Part of being a good doctor is giving a piece of yourself to each patient.”
The same can be said about your learners.
So Dr. Churchwell took the piece of you and gave a piece to us.
Yup.
7/ A year and a half ago when I got appointed as AVC to @EmoryDOMRyse with @BusseyJada, I’d go to the @AAMCtoday Group on Diversity and Inclusion Meeting—where I’d sit next to Dr. Churchwell in a workshop.
He was attentive. Kind. And generous with his expertise.
Just like you.
8/ We’d name our @EmoryDOMRyse Residents Council the CDIC—Churchwell Diversity and Inclusion Collective. After our first Black chief resident.
A piece of you in him. A piece of him in me. A piece of you both in all of us.
9/ Meeting Dr. Churchwell back then put @EmoryDeptofMed on my radar. As a place where I could go and, just maybe, thrive.
I got to visit @VUmedicine as a visiting professor last winter. And got to tell Dr. Churchwell just that.
We talked about you. We talked about legacy.
10/ So back to those questions—
Who lives?
Who dies?
Who tells your story?
I think where a piece of you lives, your story will forever be told.
Happy 100th birthday, Dr. Hurst. Thanks your legacy—and for being ‘bout that life. 👊🏽
1/ You: "You from Cali?"
Me: "How'd you guess?"
You: "I hear it, baby."
*laughter*
Me: "I know where you're from."
You: "Yeah?"
Me: "Louisiana. 100%."
You smirked after I said that. Then came a slow wink and a nod.
You: "N'Orleans. All day and all night, baby!"
*laughter*
2/ Me: "I knew for sure when you said 'baaaby.'”
You: "Yeeeeah, baby. It's hard to hide."
*laughter*
You: "But real talk? This funny accent saved my life, baby."
I raised my eyebrows and leaned forward.
Me: "Tell me more."
3/ You: "I came here after Katrina. Ain't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of! And I ain't exaggerating neither, baby. I'm talking the clothes on my back and nothing else."
Me: "Family? Did you have any in Atlanta?"
You: "Nope. None.”
Me: *shaking head* "Whoa."
1/ You used to wear bow ties. That's what you told me. Elaborate and patterned--real ones, of course.
"None of that bullshit clip-on mess," you'd told me with a raspy laugh. I squinted one eye, twisted my mouth and did an inward chuckle.
2/ Since you could see that I was amused, you egged me on by raising one eyebrow.
Me: "I'll never see clip on bow ties the same ever again."
You: "SO gonna be judging them from here forward, right?"
Me: "Totally."
We both giggled.
3/ Even though you'd been dealing with a lot for the past few years, I could see beyond your cachectic frame & scary lab results. Your eyes never lost their boyish mischief.
Yup.
Morning rounds were all business. But I always looped back to you later.
4 awesome talks + Q&A—all in under an hour! Let’s go! 👉🏽
2/ Dr. Krystal Mills of @MSMEDU taught us about trending ammonia levels in hepatic encephalopathy—don’t do it. Shout out to her coach Dr. @TracyVettese of @EmoryDeptofMed. Read this article if you haven’t! 👉🏽
3/ We learned from @dr_jsharp, Emory IM PGY2, that we need to pump the brakes on reflexive antipyretics in patients with a fever. His coach, Dr. Benjamin Renelus, @MSMEDU faculty supported in style! Want to know more? Read this paper. So good! 👉🏽
Her: "You okay?"
Me: "Ma'am?"
Her: "Look like you was having a rough time when y'all were in here earlier."
Me: "Oh. That."
She was referring to post call rounds when I was presenting her case to my attending.
It had not gone well.
2/ Her: "I thought you did just fine when you talked to me."
Me: *sagging shoulders*
Her: "But look like you started to come all unraveled when he started with all them questions."
Me: *sigh* "Yeah. It's a lot I don't know."
Her: *smiling* "It's a lot you do know, too."
3/ Me: "I'm glad you think so."
She smiled at me, her wizened eyes twinkling.
Her: "You don't think so?"
Me: *shrug* "I don't know."
It had been a rough post call day. I hadn't gotten any sleep. But I was prepared. Or so I'd thought.
Him: "Them shoes you wearing. They some a your favorite shoes?"
Me: *looking down* "My shoes?"
Him: "Yeah. Your shoes. They your favorites?"
Me: *squinting eyes and thinking* "Ummm. . . I guess I like them. They're good work shoes for the most part."
2/ Him: "You mean they're good work shoe for YOU."
Me: *puzzled* "Huh?"
*silence*
Him: "Look here. If them ain't your favorite shoes--hell, your ONLY shoes, then you need to go on and retire 'em."
Me: *looking down at my shoes again* "Sir?"
His lip twitched with amusement.
3/ Him: "Dr. Manning you woke me up 2 different times this week with that damn squeaky shoe! And today you got both of 'em squawking? Unh UH!!"
*laughter*
Him: *pointing* "Them shoes gots to GO. Or you gon' need to kick 'em off for you get on 10A so folk can get some rest."